There are well known coloring methods for hides in the prior art. In these methods, an animal such as a mammal is skinned and the harvested hide is tanned and softened. After tanning, the hide to be colored is either immersed in a dyebath and dyed a single color, or a pattern is used to print a coloring agent on the hide. In both cases, the hide is colored by dyeing the hide to be colored so that the pigment in the coloring agent is absorbed by the hide to be colored.
In the methods of the prior art, the coloring agent usually permeates the hide to be colored and merely remains there. It is not sufficiently fixed in the cell tissue. The pigment tends to come off when touched or exposed to light, air, water, or gas. As a result, products made from these hides tend to fade or become discolored. Even when colored evenly, the coloration of these products also lack clarity and depth.